Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research (WFBR) is a non-profit biomedical research institute based in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.

The foundation was established as an independent research center under the name Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology (WFEB) in 1944 by Hudson Hoagland and Gregory Pincus. It is best known for the development of the combined oral contraceptive pill by Pincus and Min Chueh Chang, an important development in modern birth control, and for pioneering research on in vitro fertilization by Chang. In the 1970s, WFEB scientists undertook the first systematic study of anti-tumor effects of the anti-estrogen tamoxifen led by 2003 Kettering Prize recipient V. Craig Jordan and initial studies of aromatase inhibitors by 2005 Kettering prize recipient Angela Brodie, two important classes of drugs to treat breast cancer.

In 1995, the name was changed to its current name to better reflect the increased focus on medical research. The institution merged with the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1997. The research facilities at 222 Maple Avenue, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts are currently operated as the Worcester Foundation Campus of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The Hoagland-Pincus Conference Center at this site hosts many small scientific seminars, meetings, and retreats.